The Colombia Land of Diversity (LOD) competition is a national-level coffee quality competition in the country, ranking alongside COE and BOP. The ninth edition brought together 1,018 growers from 13 producing regions; after two rounds of screening, 30 coffees made it to the finals, and the top lot at auction was a washed Geisha from Nariño, fetching as much as $66.50 per pound. This article walks you through the origins of LOD, its competition format, how it differs from COE, and a preview of the tenth edition in 2025, along with recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Latest data from the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC) shows that Colombia's coffee production reached 1.12 million bags in May, a year-on-year increase of 38.9%, an impressive performance. In the same period of 2023, production was dragged down by La Niña, while the drought impact brought by El Niño in the first half of this year was relatively limited. In addition, the arrival of the rainy season in May alleviated the drought, allowing production to recover. On the export side, exports in April were 792,000 bags, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%. However, domestic coffee prices fell 4% month-on-month, mainly affected by the decline in New York futures contract prices as well as lower exchange rates and differentials. In addition, the FNC is holding the ninth "Colombia Diversity" coffee quality competition, aiming to enhance the international influence of Colombian coffee. [more…]

In the 2024 28th Best of Panama (BOP) competition, Hacienda Black Moon's Chiroso submission scored 94.1 points to take the top spot in the multi-variety category, continuing this variety's impressive run on the international stage in recent years. Chiroso originates from Urrao in Antioquia, Colombia, and won the 2014 Colombia COE; it has since gradually been introduced to Panama and elsewhere. Its genetic background was once mistakenly thought to be related to Caturra, but research later confirmed that it is related to Ethiopian landraces, though it is not a natural mutation of Caturra. Chiroso beans are pointed and elongated, with prominent floral and fruity notes and complex acidity; its flavor is often compared to Geisha, with a fuller body. This article will sort through the variety's origin, spread, plant characteristics, and flavor performance, and introduce its roasting potential, providing coffee lovers with a complete variety profile. [more…]

The 2024 World Brewers Cup (WBrC) and World Cup Tasters Championship concluded in Chicago, USA, with Austrian competitor Martin Wolf taking the crown. One of the biggest highlights of this year's event was that four of the six finalists independently chose blended coffee beans, ranging from two-bean blends to three-bean blends, and from cross-origin mixes to combinations of different processing methods, showing an unprecedented diversity in blending strategies. This article reviews the competition results, analyzes the competitors' blending approaches, and explores why blended beans have become a new trend in specialty coffee competitions. [more…]

Geisha coffee, also known as Gesha coffee, is widely recognized as a top-tier variety in the specialty coffee world. It originated in the Geisha forests of Ethiopia, then spread through Kenya, Uganda, and Costa Rica before arriving in Panama. It was not until 2004, when Hacienda La Esmeralda won the Best of Panama (BOP) competition, that it truly came into the public eye. Geisha is extremely demanding when it comes to its growing environment—high altitude, cloud cover for shade, and fertile soil are all indispensable, and this is what gives it its refined and elegant floral aroma and fruity acidity. Today, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, and even Ethiopia itself are all cultivating Geisha, with each origin offering its own distinctive flavors. Among the many Geisha coffee beans that Front Street Coffee has sourced are Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label and Green Label, as well as representatives such as Colombia Hanami, Costa Rica Mirazu, and Ethiopia Gesha Village. This article will systematically outline Geisha's history of dissemination and the characteristics of each origin, along with Front Street's brewing recommendations and flavor descriptions, to give you a comprehensive understanding of this legendary coffee. [more…]

Colombia occupies a significant place in the specialty coffee landscape thanks to its natural advantages of low latitude, high altitude, and volcanic soil. Its flavor is rich and balanced, often with nutty and cocoa notes, and Starbucks'首选 coffee became a core product in 1990 using Colombian beans. In this article, Front Street Coffee takes you through the growing conditions and main producing regions of Colombian coffee, and compares the flavor differences of Huila, Cauca, and other areas one by one, including detailed characteristics of several beans such as Pink Bourbon Isabella, Washed Huila, Anaerobic Natural Flower Moon Night, and Cauca Sakura, helping coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of the diversity of Colombian coffee. [more…]

Huila is Colombia's most prestigious specialty coffee region, and the coffee produced here is famous for its balanced acidity and sweetness, pronounced caramel sweetness, and clean cup profile. This article guides you through Huila's geography, varieties, flavors, and brewing. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's Huakui series SOE once sparked widespread discussion, and now this series is about to be discontinued, with its successor being a 96-hour double anaerobic fermentation coffee bean from Finca El Paraiso. This SCA85+ specialty-grade bean comes from Finca El Paraiso, which has repeatedly appeared on the Colombia LOD competition rankings, and features bright lemongrass flavor and fruit wine aroma. Luckin uses a medium-dark roast to ensure consistent in-store output. At the same time, Luckin also plans to launch the Huakui PLUS series in the second half of the year, with procurement volume possibly exceeding 250 tons. This article provides a detailed analysis of the flavor performance of Finca El Paraiso SOE, its processing method, and Luckin's strategic layout in the specialty coffee sector, along with professional recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Although Guatemala is not a large country, it possesses an astonishing diversity of microclimates, from tropical rainforests to volcanic highlands, giving rise to distinctive specialty coffees. This article focuses on Geisha lots from two major Guatemalan estates—Acatenango Cooperative and La Bella Estate—breaking down everything from terroir and processing methods to cupping flavors, and includes a complete pour-over recipe from Front Street Coffee. If your curiosity about Geisha extends beyond Panama, this article will guide you through the unique floral aromas and sweet-tart layers of Guatemalan Geisha. [more…]

Chiroso has achieved numerous successes in competitions such as LOD and COE in recent years, and this year it even secured the highest price in the multi-variety group at the BOP global auction at $488 per kilogram. This variety originates from Urrao in Antioquia, Colombia; its plant appearance resembles Caturra, yet its bean shape is closer to Bourbon, and it gets its name from the disordered arrangement of its leaves. It was once mistaken for a natural mutation of Caturra or Bourbon, until 2021 when COE organizers confirmed through genetic testing that its lineage is an Ethiopian landrace. This article will outline Chiroso's discovery location, terroir conditions, flavor performance, and naming process to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of this highly anticipated coffee. [more…]

Colombia, as the world's third-largest coffee producer and the largest exporter of Arabica, has given rise to numerous specialty coffee regions thanks to the high altitudes, volcanic soils, and diverse microclimates of the Andes. Huila is one of the most representative specialty regions, and Finca El Diviso is located there. The estate rose to fame after the 2022 WBC champion chose its Sidra coffee beans. This article introduces Colombia's coffee-growing conditions, the terroir of the Huila region, the background of Finca El Diviso, and the origins, cultivation characteristics, and Front Street Coffee's brewing performance of the Sidra variety, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the appeal of this rare variety. [more…]

Faced with a dazzling array of black coffees, how can you pick the one that is both authentic and delicious? Ultimately, taste is a highly personal matter, and the best choice is the one that suits your own preferences. Today, more and more coffee lovers are pursuing single-origin specialty black coffee, because only a pure extraction with no sugar and no milk allows you to fully savor the terroir carried by the coffee beans. Among the many specialty beans, Geisha stands out with its intense citrus aroma, jasmine fragrance, and bright, varied fruit acidity, making it a star variety that producing countries compete to cultivate. However, the same variety can present completely different flavor profiles in different regions, and the Geisha of Panama, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Colombia each has its own merits. This article uses Front Street Coffee's bean selection and brewing experience as a thread to guide you through the characteristics and tasting methods of Geisha black coffee from each region. [more…]

Located in the Cauca region of Colombia, Finca El Paraiso is run by Diego Samuel and has focused on specialty coffee exploration since its founding in 2008. Its double anaerobic washed Castillo coffee beans, introduced to China by Front Street Coffee, present fruity sweetness and acidity reminiscent of berries, raspberries, and strawberry jam, accompanied by notes of mugwort and spice, with extremely high flavor distinctiveness. This article will discuss Finca El Paraiso's regional terroir, processing techniques, variety characteristics, as well as Front Street's roasting and brewing recommendations, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the flavor sources and extraction key points of this bean, while providing reusable pour-over parameter references. [more…]

Colombia is an important origin for specialty coffee in the world, and the high-altitude terroir of its Cauca region has nurtured many distinctive coffee estates. The Colombia Finca El Paraiso Cherry Blossom coffee beans launched by Front Street Coffee stores use a double anaerobic washed process and the Castillo variety, presenting fruity sweet-and-sour notes reminiscent of berries, raspberries, and strawberry jam, accompanied by a wormwood-like spice aroma, with a uniquely distinctive mouthfeel. This article will take an in-depth look at Finca El Paraiso's producing region environment, variety characteristics, and processing techniques, as well as the roasting and pour-over methods customized by Front Street for this coffee, bringing you a comprehensive understanding of this coffee's flavor code from origin to cup. [more…]

Geisha coffee, also known as Gesha coffee, is one of the most dazzling varieties in today's specialty coffee world. It was first discovered in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia, then made its way through Kenya, Uganda, and Costa Rica, and finally rose to fame at Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama. This article traces the complete spread of Geisha coffee and its varietal characteristics, and introduces the Geisha flavors of representative origins such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia, as well as the Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label grade classifications of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda. Drawing on years of sourcing experience, Front Street Coffee shares the cupping performance and brewing suggestions for each Geisha coffee bean, helping coffee lovers fully understand this legendary variety. [more…]

Cauca Department in Colombia is an important origin for specialty coffee, where high altitude, volcanic soil, and marked day-night temperature swings produce washed Caturra with bright acidity and pronounced sweetness. From the region's terroir, Cup of Excellence competitions, and the characteristics of the Suarez micro-region to green bean roasting and brewing suggestions, this article fully lays out the flavor code of Cauca coffee. Drawing on roasting practice, Front Street Coffee shares a medium-dark roast approach and specific curves to help enthusiasts understand how this bean performs from origin to cup. [more…]

Geisha coffee has become a star in the specialty coffee world thanks to its unique floral and fruity aromas, and the natural-process Geisha produced at Colombia's Hacienda La Esperanza takes this variety's charm to new heights. This article starts with a cup of La Esperanza's Margarita plot Geisha, sourced through Front Street Coffee, to guide you through La Esperanza's history, the distribution of its five sub-farms, the terroir advantages of the Cauca Valley producing region, and the estate's relentless pursuit of variety experimentation, meticulous harvesting, and processing. If you are a Geisha enthusiast, or are looking for an outstanding Colombian single-origin bean, this article will provide you with a complete reference. [more…]

Geisha coffee is hailed as the shining pearl of the specialty coffee world. From the wild forests of Ethiopia to the auction stage of Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama, it has traveled a legendary journey. This article traces the spread of the Geisha variety, analyzes the flavor differences among major origins such as Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia, and provides a detailed introduction to the classification criteria and brewing suggestions for Hacienda La Esmeralda's three grades: Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label. Front Street Coffee has selected several representative Geisha beans to give you a comprehensive understanding of this elegant variety's unique charm and key tasting points. [more…]

In the high-altitude mountains of Costa Rica, Cloud Mist Estate, with its unique terroir and meticulous processing methods, nurtures top-tier coffee varieties such as Geisha and Sudan Rume. This article will take you deep into the natural advantages of the Los Santos region, analyze the varietal origins of Geisha and Sudan Rume, and share brewing suggestions from Front Street Coffee. From historical context to processing techniques, from varietal characteristics to pour-over parameters, it presents the fascinating world of specialty coffee in every aspect. [more…]

Colombia enjoys a locational advantage with ports on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, giving it lower coffee shipping costs than other South American countries. Its specialty coffee regions are mainly distributed across the Eastern and Central Cordilleras, as well as the southern areas of Huila, Cauca, and Nariño. Due to differences in altitude, soil, and microclimate, each region presents a diverse range of flavors, from nutty chocolate to peach and rose. This article systematically reviews the varietal characteristics and cupping performance of five major producing regions—Medellín, Santander, Huila, Cauca, and Nariño—and includes Front Street Coffee's roasting curves and brewing parameters for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]